lot of the issues we are dealing with in this post COVID world are a result of shortages, price over runs, and the sheer amount of new gun owners
-Guys continue to act as if there is not a severe shortage of EVERYTHING right now. We used to take special orders for our customers and direct order hard to find weapons because we could generally guarantee arrival of whatever it was within a week or two. Now? with everything allocated, backordered, or preferred partner reserved (super allocated)? nah. We dont take your money cause i cant guarantee when an item will become available and tracking and dealing with pissed off customers who have had to wait 3+ months for an order is garbage. So now? i toss you on a list and if it becomes available ill give you a call as to whether you still want it.
-Parts are gone. Seriously, for a shop that custom builds stuff, our inventory depth has declined. We are one of the biggest Aero P dealers in the east coast and we can barely get stripped lowers in. from 500 a month to 25 a month. So because of the lack of parts, we've been forced to be more selective how we sell what we have. You cant just buy an Aero lower from us, it comes as part of a builders kit with included upper and handguard option so that we arent sitting on unmoveable stock because certain guys want to come in, buy 15 lowers, then bugger off to sell them on GB. Sucks for guys that 'just need a lower' but allows us to maintain matching stock for dudes doing full builds. Barrels are another casualty. the days of 13.75 barrels and goofy calibers and profiles is gone. Factories are barely keeping up with the standard "10.5 or 16" government profle in 5.56 or .223 wylde" set up and nonething else. So guys halfway through a Grendel build or 7.62x39 (those have become SUPER popular) are left without BCG or barrel options to finish them.
-Ammo. So my system is basically automated, we scan what comes, it is assigned a store UPC and automatically given a price based on entered data such as pieces per package and cost from dealer. ammo is automatically set to give us 30% return. fairly average. So when you see a box of 9mm sitting on our shelf for almost a buck a round, that aint because we are gouging you. its because we are paying through the ass for it too. Sometimes the ammo we buy cost so much we cant even sell it. We have to stash it in the back until prices readjust so we can either sell it at a loss thats adjusted later for tax purposes, or is basically consumed for store use through range days and test firing. I still have boxes of 5.56 green tip that at 30% margin would cost a customer almost 2 bucks around. it doesnt go out. its basically a 'in case all the ammo disappears and this is the last of it' apocalypse stash for employees.
Thats the bad stuff, the good stuff? LOTS of new lady gun buyers and people in general becoming more gun savvy. Folks are now over the 'get me something cheap and fast' and are starting to lean on quality. I still get hit up for Taurus G2 ghetto blasters often enough but my most popular products are high quality CCW guns for ladies. The P365 line i cant keep in stock and i get a dozen of those things a week. XL models, SAS, models with preattached optics. The ladies like them and so do guys. the entire Sig line up really. P320's are in high demand and the Tread series AR's are very popular.
NFA sales are very high right now too. ive sold more suppressors in 2020 then 2019 and 2018 combined and 2021 is looking to beat THAT record. But the most desired item by far are AK style rifles. I think its because the price of ammo for Combloc stuff is still very reasonable, but anything AK like gets bought before i can really put it out. Hell, i got a post ban, 'NIB' unfired MAK-90 sporter ill be tossing on gun broker that i could just as easily sell in store for 1700 and just be done with it.